Psychotherapy - Will it help to overcome mental concerns and mindset blocks?
I have been seeking help from counselling and psychotherapy services to help with my problems (including eating issues).
But after (10 sessions - like almost a year already) i felt that we are only at the stage of opening up about myself.
There are defintely more to go down the rabbit hole.
But most importantly i felt that we never addressed the issue on "moving on" and live "better/happily" kind of thing.
Every session, i bring some message or strong findings back with me, but i cant seem to take much action on them.
Regarding eating issues, i have been self-troubleshooting different forms of food (plant-based), more/less quantities, reading excessively on google/youtube, articles on ED, Pasts, Recovery, Blogs etc. But I am still facing problems with stomach bloat, cramp, pain, etc... I always tell myself that I am tired with all these issues and would like a break. But I am still not able to overcome and do anything. Is like what everyone said, the need for control/perfection kind of thing that is going on. The psychologist also pointed out that there is alot of self-harshness that I have been treating myself... there is no self-care and alot of processing goes in the mind, not in the heart.
Hence i have been wondering, as the sessions are very short and only happens once a month. Will it help if there is a whole day option kind of thing? And perhaps we just address all the problems once and for all?
My experience has been that psychotherapy can help to overcome mental concerns and mindset blocks, but only if the therapist is good at it. Unfortunately, many therapists have impressive academic qualifications but limited practical skill. Your need a therapist who is skilled enough to address the issues like moving on and living happily that you wish to address.
After almost a year in therapy it might be reasonable to consider trying a different therapist, if that is a possibility for you. Choosing a therapist whose competence has been independently certified might be a good idea. For example, therapists certified by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy are objectively evaluated for clinical competence. This is only an example—other professional bodies might also make similar independent and objective evaluations, but many don't.
Regarding eating issues, it's impossible to guess in an Internet forum how these fit in to the overall picture in your particular case. Your therapist should be able to work with you on that kind of thing. Sometimes physical symptoms go away as soon as underlying mental and emotional issues are dealt with effectively, but sometimes external factors like diet and so forth also have to be looked into.
Regarding sessions, I think around an hour every week is typical. I once read about some research that found twice a week is the fastest way to make progress, and more than that didn't help (because a lot of processing has to happen between sessions). But it was a long time ago and I can't find the link now. I have personally never heard of an effective whole-day once-and-for-all option.
@mikenai22
Hi @RarelyCharlie, thanks for replying. I have noted on your comments.
The therapist is assigned by the hospital. But however I do not think I am competent enough to know which type of therapy/counseling is suitable for me (in order to match the correct therapist). Furthermore I don't think I am allowed to choose the therapist, unless I visit a private clinic.
As of now, we have not started discussion on eating habits yet. But rather touching on other topics, although it may be interlated.
Yes I do agree about the "processing time", to reflect about the pointers discussed. I just have the feeling that the progress is slow as it is about year soon and i still find it challenging to move on. However another struggle for me to overcome is money spending (if amount of sessions are increased), especially on medicals... The problem is "not" that I cannot afford, but the mental struggle of letting go of money.
Ah yes, when your therapist is assigned by the hospital that restricts your options. My understanding is that the type of therapy does not matter much, if the therapist is good at it. I agree that your progress seems disappointingly slow.
There is a type of therapy called Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT or SFT) that is designed to work quickly, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is usually pretty quick, too. Some therapists will agree to complete therapy in a fixed number of sessions, and maybe doing that would allow you to plan your spending and make it less of a struggle.
And maybe it would be worth using your next session to review the whole situation with your therapist. You could discuss questions like: Is this working? How long will recovery take? What options are there to make it quicker?
Feel free to message me, by the way, if you would like to chat about any of this in private.
@mikenai22
Thank you @RarelyCharlie for the suggestions. I will try to craft these thoughts and ask my psychologist on the next session.
Yea, i do hope that it can be completed "as soon as possible" or at least to address some of the pains. Most importantly what i fear most of the time is that some sessions are not effective. Hence making me feel like a wasted money/time/waiting time lost...
Would be good i presume to have some direction of the upcoming therapy sessions, than continuous "crafting" or follow the "flow" on every subsequent sessions.
I agree, in effective therapy there's a short period of assessment leading to a treatment plan, and the rest of the treatment follows the plan.
@mikenai22
@mikenai22
to me it sounds like you have a good therapist. you come back each time with insight. but It seems that once a month may not be offering you the frequency you need to see progress as easily. maybe you could go more frequently? I go twice a seek and see a dietician twice a week. it is expensive but i need that. I also use the recovery record app with my therapist and dietician. they give me brief feedback several times a day in addition to discussion during sessions. just something to consider. I had to interveiw a lot of therapists before i found one I could afford who also specialized in Ed's and some other concerns im working on. progress still feels slow to me but i have a lot to work on and any change is improvment for me.
@copingwithtrauma
Replying inlines with different color
to me it sounds like you have a good therapist. you come back each time with insight.
[mike] i hope so... there are good times, there are bad times. psychologist higlighted a few times that it is how you want to manage it, and most importantly you should and have the right "define" how you want out of it. if it is not helpful, chuck it. if the psychologist is not helpful, voice it out, change it. Do not spend time and ultimately end of the day, "yourself suffer"
i started realising it only after 6/7th session... of the importance of it... but there are times where i reached the hospital lethargic and tired (during/after work/lunch) and the session end up in a very unfruitful manner... there are also times where i cant come up with discussion topics to address or discuss...
whenever i bring something back, sometimes i re-process them, but unable to get over them... hence whether if it is effective will be another thing... but if you say helpful at least it was identified... (than being kept in the dark)
but It seems that once a month may not be offering you the frequency you need to see progress as easily. maybe you could go more frequently? I go twice a seek and see a dietician twice a week. it is expensive but i need that.
[mike] honestly, i am defintely looking forward to see more frequently and hopefully get things flowing faster, effective, being addressed, opened up, and not letting it slide after too long... however i am fighting with alot of "relationship" problems (i.e. health, food, weight, family, mental thoughts, army, and also money) most of them in "reality" terms are actually fine, but it is me who register them as they are not in order or insufficient. Hence i must work on them. (i.e. Money - I do not have enough, hence i should not spend. But budgetary calculation shows that I am still in the plus zone (of saving, just way lesser than before))
Yea, mental struggle is the same... for eating disorder... so yea...
I also use the recovery record app with my therapist and dietician. they give me brief feedback several times a day in addition to discussion during sessions. just something to consider. I had to interveiw a lot of therapists before i found one I could afford who also specialized in Ed's and some other concerns im working on. progress still feels slow to me but i have a lot to work on and any change is improvment for me.
[mike] i have been searching for sometime, a gold solution to log my daily life. Journaling, Blogging, Photographing, Mood Apps, Exercise Apps, etc... But till today, I have not been able to find something that I can be contented, happy, and feel safe with. My solution always comes with demanding requirements like "free", backup, unlimited storage, easy and quick, exportable for review, not ED triggering, which is kinda hard to find. Hence i keep falling back to journal writing, which recently of late... i started to feel exhausted about it. (which following what my psychologist highlighted, to chuck (or for me stop) or reduce for a while... and continue when i am ready or want to do it.
There is no point in forcing something that you do not want/like/need to do...